Cessna 182 accident near Skwentna, Alaska, September 15, 2003
On September 15, 2003 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182, registered N3386U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Skwentna, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's misjudgment of the distance/altitude to the touchdown point during landing, which resulted in an undershoot and collision with a river bank. A factor contributing to the accident was the presence of a river bank that formed the beginning of the runway threshold.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 15, 2003 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Skwentna, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N3386U · no longer on the register · serial 18254786
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private certificated pilot was landing at a remote airstrip next to his cabin, which is located next to a river. The airstrip, positioned on a 260/080 degree magnetic orientation, is about 1,100 feet long and 100 feet wide. The threshold of runway 26 begins at the bank of the river. The pilot said that during the landing, the nose wheel struck the lip of the river bank. The airplane then nosed over, and received damage to the wings and fuselage.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,800 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model; 110 in the last 90 days; 2,700 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 7, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,802 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 29, 2003; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAMR Anchorage AK at 4:15 pm
- Destination: Skwentna AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 1,100 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.